Dresses were a plague, they were binding and hot. Ahriana couldn't be mollified with the information that her dresses didn't have nearly as many layers as human women were forced to confine themselves with. They were absolutely ridiculous too heavy for the musty summer days that filled Imerald's forest, she couldn't convince her mother of this though because Ahriana wasn't truly a warrior for many more years, she was caught in a strange limbo area, stuck between being built as a warrior but without the skill, and being born a princess without the desire or temperament required. Being a noble lady, without a bonded mate, being meant to rule a nation led by Power Bearers, when she had zero power, Ahriana was a walking contradiction. Queen Nira was determined to put her into a box labeled PRINCESS, no matter how much effort and torture that took .
Every spring her mother tried to bond Ahriana. It was far too late for that, and each year the men became younger until it was almost absurd to think one of them would be her bonded. Age gaps were not uncommon but never more than a few years. Nira was marching children in front of Ahriana and watching with a glare as nothing happened. The crowded ballroom would sigh and give her little looks of pity before the band would once again strike up whatever dance number was in fashion this season. Once, a member of the band felt so much embarrassment for Ahriana he started playing before the line of prospective suitors had concluded.
Fairsh would stand next to her snickering, because even though he had not bonded his mother did not torture him with huge parties and parades in an attempt to find the person. His silver eyes would sparkle with humor and Ahriana knelt down to shake the hand of some small child who looked at her in great fear. She could imagine that the prospect of being bonded to a fully grown woman would indeed be terrifying for them.
Since Fairsh was not destined to rule the nation, or pass on a title, or continue an ancient family tree, his mother didn't feel the same pressure Ahriana's did. When her mother paraded a group of eight year old boys in front of her, and even one teenage girl Ahriana called an end to the yearly tradition. Fairsh had laughed until tears had streamed down his sharp cheekbones, when the young girls had walked before her confused but demure. It wasn't unusual for Elderalds of the same gender to bond, but Ahriana was not pleased that her mother had decided to add to the spectacle further. As if she wouldn't have known if she preferred women over men. It wasn't as if she had never been attracted to someone before, she certainly had. Nira was not concerned with her preferences. Humans may suffer some sort of confusion on their attractions but Elderalds did not, one was simply born for another, born with the right preferences that would be required, whatever those might be. Nira had never asked.